Middle School Kids Invited to Virtual "Tell Your Story" Workshop

For 25 years, Chicago's Tellin' Tales Theatre (TTT) has been teaching people - both with and without disabilities - how to tell their stories and present them in an entertaining way. Now, middle-school age kids can learn this VIRTUALLY in a 6-week Zoom workshop taught by two of Tellin' Tales' seasoned ensemble members. The advantage of Virtual is that participants can come from Chicago and beyond.

The workshop runs Thursdays, July 1 - August 5 from 6-8pm CST with the virtual performances presented on August 18 and 25. The cost is $50, but TTT never turns away anyone for financial reasons. For more information or to get involved, contact Stephen Donart at Steve@tellintales.org. The website is www.tellintales.org

The participants will choose a passionate topic and transform it into a personal story. The process helps kids to be in a safe place where they can express how they feel. It is a way to meet new friends, learn writing techniques that bring a story to life, and build performance skills and self esteem.

Here is what some past members of the workshop had to say:

“I got to learn about other people's experiences and about myself in the process.”
-Lee Buell

“It was a great platform for me to get my ideas out there with support from professionals.”
- Tiernan Tajalli

“It was really fun and I learned a lot along the way. I was given a freedom and voice that I don’t get in school.”
- Tim Bannon

Tamara Rozofsky and Rosemary Postula are the workshop leaders. Rozofsky is a performer with a disability who is a graduate of Second City's Sketch Writing and Conservatory programs. She has contributed to many Tellin' Tales Theatre productions as a solo performer and also as an adult mentor for the Six Stories Up shows. She is a teaching artist in community centers, summer camps, corporate offices and universities around the country.

Rosemary Postula is a professional writer and performer who has written and starred in seven solo shows for Tellin' Tales Theatre. As a mentor for Six Stories Up, she enjoyed co-writing and performing with middle schoolers in six productions. She also co-wrote and directed 15 intergenerational musicals for churches. Both Postula and Rozofsky are Tellin' Tales Theatre Ensemble Members.

The mission of Tellin' Tales Theatre is to shatter the barriers between the disabled and non-disabled worlds through the transformative power of personal story. We bring together children and adults from both communities to share their stories in theatrically innovative productions and programs to promote awareness, understanding and acceptance. Our vision is to model a society where all people are accepted and respected, regardless of perceived ability.